


in the hollows of their footprints

by NerdsbianHokie



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-28 08:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7632763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdsbianHokie/pseuds/NerdsbianHokie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Dragon Age one shots I may eventually expand on.  Primarily AUs and femslash.  Title from Exaltations 1:5</p>
            </blockquote>





	in the hollows of their footprints

**Author's Note:**

> Starting off with an DA2 AU based on Stephen King's IT. It is a re-imagining of one of the scenes with the kids, and is set in about the same time as that section of IT was (so 60s/70s). I have various other ideas for it that may appear in the future, but also may not.
> 
> There are no established ships here, but the beginning of Hawebela.
> 
> Some dialogue was taken from Stephen Kings IT. I do not own it, or any characters.
> 
> Chapter title is from the Canticle of Silence 3:6

Marian threw the rock as hard as she could, then scampered to the edge of the cliff where the others stood with bated breaths.  The rock seemed to hang in the air for a few moments, before plopping in the water.

Marian let out a whoop and jumped up, arms pumping.

“Beat that, Tethras,” she said.

“You got a height advantage,” Varric replied.  “Of course you can throw further.”

“How is height a factor?” Merrill spoke up, head tilted to the side.  “I thought dwarves were supposed to be super strong.”

“Yeah,” Marian said.  “Where’s that super strength?”

“The Ancestors take it when you lose your stone sense,” Varric easily replied.

“That sounds like a good story,” Merrill replied.  “You should make it one.”

“I just might, Daisy, I just might.”

Merrill smiled - large and bright - which made the others smile as well.

Marian kicked around the sand for a moment, before snatching up another rock.  She walked to the elf and passed it to her.

“You try,” she said.

“Oh, I don’t know.  I don’t see how I could possibly beat you.”

“You just might.  You won’t know unless you try.”

Merrill looked from the rock to the water, then at Marian.

“I suppose you’re right.”

Marian grinned, and tucked her thumbs into her front pockets.  “I’m always right.”

“You can be right later,” Aveline interrupted from her perch on a nearby boulder.  “Fenris is here.”

They all turned to her, then to the path, where Fenris was walking towards them.  He was hunched over as always, and carried a large book under one arm.

“What took you so long, Broody?” Varric asked.

Fenris just glanced at him, then sat next to Aveline on the boulder.  The others crowded around him.

“I found this going through some bookshelves,” Fenris said, laying it on his lap.  “Danarius caught me, but I managed to sneak the book away.”

“What is it?” Isabela asked.

Marian glanced at her, brow furrowed.  Isabela had been quite the entire day, withdrawn in a way Marian had never seen.  Isabela briefly met her gaze, then looked at the book.  Marian sat next to the other girl, pressing their shoulders together in what she hoped was a gesture of comfort.

“It’s a collection of artwork and articles about various events throughout Kirkwall’s history,” Fenris said, pulling Marian’s attention to him.

He opened the book, skipping a few pages to a copy of a relief they all recognized from their textbook.  The remnants of the Chantry explosion of 9:37 Dragon.  Only, it wasn’t the four by four square they were used to.

Templars and guards stood on the edge, staring up at the wreckage.  In front of the crowd stood a large woman in Templar armor and a pointed circlet.  
Marian’s blood chilled as she stared at the woman.

Fenris turned the page to a cartoonish depiction of the same Templar woman dragging a mage to the Gallows.  The date in the corner read 6:85 Steel.

The next was a sepia tinted photograph of a solemn child sitting on a bench.  Standing behind him, hand on his shoulder, was the Templar.  14:17 Modern.

“That’s her,” Anders said, pushing forward to point at the woman.  “That’s the Templar from the basement.”

“And the caves,” Merrill added, her voice even smaller than usual.

“It can’t be,” Sebastian cut in.  “It can’t.”

The pages of the book began to flip, cover to cover then back again.

Marian grabbed Isabela’s hand and squeezed.  Her heart thudded in her ears.  Her chest compressed, each breath harder to find than the last.

“That’s what happened in Bethany’s room,” she whispered, pressing away from the book.

The book finally stopped on a full-page image.

Despite the warnings in the back of her mind, Marian leaned towards it like the others.

It was an old picture - black and white and faded at the edges.  The Gallows dominated the background while mages practiced in front.  The sounds of magic flowed around them - crunching ice, roaring fire, whispers of spirits, murmured incantations - growing louder and louder until the picture began to move.

Spells were flung across the picture.  Sigils traced across the ground.  A figure in heavy armor walked into the picture, stopping every few moments to watch one mage or another.

“It’s her,” Anders whispered as the figure became clear.

Almost like she heard him, the Templar turned.  She smirked, and began to stalk towards them.

Marian’s breath caught in her chest.  She pressed away, the bark of the tree biting into her neck.

The Templar stepped up onto something.  Her faced filled the picture.

“I’ll kill you all,” she growled.  “I’ll drive you crazy, and I’ll kill you all.”

Merrill gasped.  Fenris cursed under his breath.  Isabela pushed into Marian.

“I’m every nightmare you ever had.  I am your worst dream come true.  I’m everything you ever were afraid of.”

A gauntleted hand burst out of the picture.

Sebastian surged forwards and pushed the book out of Anders hands.  It fell to the ground, closing as it did.

“No, no, no,” he mumbled.

“Yes,” Marian replied, prompting the others to respond the same way.  
Sebastian gave in beneath the chorus of ‘yeses’ and pressed his head into his hands.

“It can’t be real,” he protested.

“You’ve seen that it is,” Varric replied.

“It’s a demon, obviously,” Aveline said.

“What demon can do that?” Sebastian asked.  “I know demons are powerful, but all of this?”

“It’s an old demon,” Anders replied.  “An ancient one.”

“The Keeper always said that there are demons, spirits, from before the Repression,” Merrill jumped in.  “They just don’t often interact with us.”

Marian blocked the rest of their conversation out.

That thing had Bethany.  A demon that thought it was an ancient Templar had her mage sister.  Her stomach clenched.

Her baby sister.

She dropped Isabela’s hand and walked away from the group.  She stopped at the edge of the cliff.  She wrapped her arms around herself.

“Help me,” she said.

The conversation behind her stopped.  She stared out at the water.  Rage mixed with the helplessness.

“You took my sister, you bastard,” she growled.  “Let’s see you now.  Let’s see you now.”  She brushed away the tears in her eyes.  “It’s scared of us you know, I can feel that.  By the Maker, I can.”  She shook her head, and clenched her fists.  “I want to kill it.”

The truth of the words sunk into her.  She wanted to kill that thing, wanted to make it hurt.

An arm slid around her shoulders.  She tilted her head to press into Isabela slightly.  Her tears fell freely as Isabela rubbed her back.

Another arm wrapped around her, slightly lower.  Varric.

“Please, help me,” she mumbled as the others joined as well.

The all circled around her, silently promising to do what they could.

**Author's Note:**

> So, the Repression is kind of like what Solas did when he created the Veil. At some point in history, the decision was made to further cut off the Fade. As a result, mages are not as susceptible to demons, but are also not as powerful.
> 
> If I post more for this AU, it will probably be backstories. None of these characters will perfectly align with characters from the original.
> 
> Yes, that is Meredith as IT.


End file.
